Midsummer Night's Dream
by Ray by Another Name
Summary: Modern AU Gendrya and a meddling Sansa. Prompt: "The course of true love never did run smooth." (Act I, Scene I of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream) Written for my 2019 Summer Prompt Challenge on Ao3.
1. Act 1

936 words of Modern AU Gendrya and a meddling Sansa.

Prompt: "The course of true love never did run smooth." (Act I, Scene I of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream)

Written for my 2019 Summer Prompt Challenge on Ao3.

* * *

**Act 1  
**

Arya growled as she button-mashed her controller. It didn't help. On the screen in front of her a scroll unfolded to reveal the words 'Game Over' in a curly script.

"Alright, 'No One,'" a chuckle sounded over her headset, "I won, cough it up." Arya scowled at the computer screen as the words continued to glow, mocking her.

"Come on, Bull. Rematch!" Arya said, grinning through her teeth as she tried to sound pleasant.

He snorted, "I wasn't born yesterday. If you don't abide by the rules of the bet, I will be forced to mock you. Endlessly."

"Arya." She growled, "My name is Arya."

"Was that so hard,*Arya*?" Bull was laughing at her. Not verbally, but she could FEEL the laughter immenating from the headseat.

Arya growled, "Fight me again and you'll find out!"

It took her two more fights, and a not an insignificant amount of swearing, to get his name - Gendry.

"Sounds vaguely like a car part." Arya shrugged to herself as she shut off the game. She unhooked the control, wrapped the cord, and stuck it in a drawer.

Gendry grumbled on the other end the whole time, "I didn't make fun of your name."

"Didn't you though?" Arya grinned to herself as she stood in the center of her room, arms crossed and headset on as she, essentially, talked to herself.

"I know you're baiting me, but still..." Gendry's laugh was deep, a tad husky. Arya felt something race up her spine. "Hey, next time, want to play for emails?"

Arya smiled to herself, "You're on!"

-.-.-

"What about this dress?" Sansa pulled out a black knit dress from Arya's closet. Arya didn't even remember buying it, which probably meant Sansa or her mother had snuck it in there at some point.

"I'm meeting Gendry at a pub, not a nightclub." Arya rolled her eyes, "And I definitely don't want the attention that dress would draw."

Sansa pouted, shoulders sagging as she put the dress back. "You like this guy, you should dress like it."

"I should dress like me," Arya bristled. "If he doesn't like it, then screw him." Sansa turned to face her, eyebrows raised. "Obviously I would prefer he like it." Sansa nodded and swiftly returned to the closet with a thoughtful eye.

Arya was just starting to question asking for her sister's help when Sansa produced a pair of red shorts and black tights. Combat boots and band tee later Arya was set.

"Okay," Arya nodded at herself in the mirror, looked at her sister over her shoulder, "You're good at this."

"Some might say its my job," Sansa winked and giggled. Arya rolled her eyes. Personal stylist, right, very funny.

An hour later Arya stepped into the Crossroads Bar with her hair pulled half-up and dark lipstick Sansa had cheerfully helped her apply. Needless to say, she'd made many sacrifices this evening.

Only to see a pretty brunette, tall and curvy, wearing a slinky black dress chatting up a familiar set of broad shoulders. She'd been video-chatting with Gendry for over a year now, she recognized the shoulders.

So she left. Didn't even bother walking up to him.

"You can't just give up!" Sansa stood in their living room with hands on her hips and her jaw set.

Arya huffed, sat back in the couch. "You can't give up on something if you never started." Sansa scoffed and plopped down beside her.

"You're Arya Stark, computer security expert and krav magazine black belt!" Sansa was gesturing wildly now, "You don't give up on what you want, Arya." She knocked her shoulder with Arya's. "And we both know you want Gendry."

This, this was the downside of sharing an apartment with her sister.

"The encouragement is appreciated, but unnecessary." Arya grunted as she stood. Boots in hand she moved towards her bedroom. Sansa blew out a breath, mind whirling.

There are few things so sacred as a sister's duty.

The Crossroads was packed, but the crowds parted for Sansa as she walked. She'd never spoken to Gendry, or even seen a photo except one in which he was wearing some dumb cosplay Arya'd had to explain. But Sansa found the 'big, dumb bull' without issue.

Gendry sat in a state of abject misery with a table full of empty bottles and a half-finished beer in hand. He glanced up when Sansa stopped at his table, "Can I help you?" His face scrunched up as he looked at her.

"Sansa," her arms crossed beneath her breasts, "You're alone. Not what I was led to expect." She glanced at the empties, "I'm pleased to see it though."

"Sansa?" Gendry's confusion deepened as he sat up straight, "Arya's sister." Sansa nodded. "Do you happen to know why she stood me up?"

Sansa smirked, "I happen to know she didn't." Gendry's head fell into his hands.

"I'm really too drunk for this," he glanced back up at her, "Where's Arya?"

"At home, in her pajamas, watching Naruto." Sansa shrugged and then slid into the booth opposite Gendry, "You and I are going to discuss how you will rectify that." She waved down the server, ordered them both coffee.

Gendry stared at her, "I am very confused."

Sansa just laughed, "She did say you were a tad slow on the uptake." Gendey scowled. "Now. Shut up. Or do you not want me to help you win my sister's heart?"

The bull of a man straightened. His mouth clamped shut and a blush rose on his cheeks, "I'm listening."

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Thanks for reading! Reviews Appreciated!


	2. Act 2

1623 more words of Gendrya, this time with some meddling Drogo.

Prompt: Continuation requested by many on Tumblr!

Written for my 2019 Summer Prompt Challenge on Ao3.

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**Act 2  
**

Gendry brushed a hand through his hair, attempting to flatten it without making it look greasy. Since he'd spent the day in the garage under the wheels of a minivan…

"Are you seriously primping?" Hot Pie snorted as he watched the other man frown at his reflection. "Got another virtual date then?" Gendry blushed. "With, uh, what's her name… Alaine?"

"Arya." Gendry corrected, fidgeting with his shirt now. "And it's not a date, we just started League of Legends so we're trying to grind a few levels. Goes quicker together is all."

Hot Pie leveled him with a face. A very flat, very neutral face.

"I don't even know what she looks like!" Gendry argued, hands on his hips now.

Hot Pie rolled his eye, "It's called video chat, ya geezer. If you're going to primp in the mirror every night, you might as well let her see your hardwork."

Gendry froze. He'd never considered videochatting with her. They always just chatted, usually with mics, but sometimes they just messaged via Discord.

"You're a genius, Hot Pie!" Gendry blew past his roommate as he walked up the stairs of his flat. He had the top bedroom, by nature of having lived there the longest, and he took the steps three at a time.

He only had twenty minutes before log-on and he needed a shower for this plan to work. When he sent the message he was immediately met with a incoming video call. He clicked accept.

"You look like a wet dog, Bull," Arya's eyes flicked between him and her screen. She was smirking. He really shouldn't have expected anything different.

Gendry snorted, "Better than a toasted rat." Arya chuckled, ruffled her own hair. It was stuck all over the place and an ashy brown that reminded Gendry of his motorcycle.

"You want combed hair you gotta give me more warning," Arya said as her fingers flew over her keyboard. Gendry followed suit, his character marching along behind hers on his main screen. "Well…a chance at combed hair, anyway."

It was such an Arya response, Gendry couldn't help but smile. His chest tightened as he listened to her laugh, watched her face scrunch up in concentration. Arya was the most beautiful burnt rat he'd ever seen.

-.-.-

Three years. That's how long he'd been gaming with one Arya Stark, screen names: No One, Ser Nymeria of Winterfell, Cat of the Canals. She was legendary on every MMORPG. She still called him Bull, though she'd known his name for two years.

A year of weekly video chats and near nightly regular chats and now… now it was time to take this to the next step.

What'd you think about meeting in person?

He sent it via text because he wasn't sure he could ask it with her eyes on him. Arya - who's average response time was 10 seconds - took nearly a minute to respond.

Sounds good. Where?

Gendry wouldn't admit to it, but he totally rolled around on his bed when he read that. All of his excitement coming out as he first pumped and kicked his legs. Arya wanted to meet him!

The Crossroads? My roommate says the food there is good.

It took six seconds this time.

Awesome. Saturday at 7.

-.-.-

At 6:30 a girl with dark hair and a friendly smile came up to him at the bar. He was nervous, so he chatted with her. She kind of reminded him of his half-sister Mya. His nerves died down considerably as he spoke with her.

That lasted until 7:15.

At 7:45, he ordered his third beer.

It was 8:30 when a red headed woman slid into his booth and turned his world inside out.

"Arya is not nearly so confident as it seems, at least not with men." Sansa was writing on a napkin as she rambled on about her sister.

Gendry listed raptly and tried to catch glimpses of the napkin. It was his assigned game plan, of which he had been given no input. But Sansa's hair, long and thick, blocked the white square from view.

"If you screw this up, I will personally gut you and have your innards fed to dogs." Sansa smiled at him as she pushed the napkin across the table. Gendry blinked, took it, and watched as the woman Arya described as a 'push over' walked away.

Pushover was not the word he would use. Gendry looked down at her instructions. A time and address were scribbled in one corner, alongside the advice: don't be an idiot, wear a cup, and don't flirt with anyone else.

At 8:45 Gendry finally realized what had spooked Arya.

"I'm an idiot." Gendry groaned and plopped his head on the table. With one eye he looked again at the napkin.

*Khal Drogo's Gym* 4pm, Friday.

-.-.-

According to Hot Pie, this week was his most pathetic week on record. While Gendry didn't appreciate the commentary, he did agree.

Arya had missed all of their usual one-on-ones, ignored his texts, and during their guild's weekly raid she didn't speak to him at all. Hell, she'd gone chat only for all but the first five minutes. She hated being chat only!

"I feel like a right idiot," Gendry whined to his sister on the phone. Mya spoke soothing words overtop stifled laughs. On Friday, she reminded him - twice - to follow Sansa's advice. So, he wore the cup.

Khal Drogo's was a brick building east of downtown. The walls were a brownish beige and the doors were flanked by metal horses raised on their hind legs. Inside a wall of boxing belts and marshal arts trophies were incased behind a counter manned by a woman with white blond hair.

"Can I help you?" The woman had a kind smile, but here eyes were sharp as she looked him up and down. Jeans were probably not standard attire for a gym.

"I'm looking for Arya, her sister told me to try here."

A slim eyebrow raised high, "Arya?" Her eyes moved over him again, slower, narrowed. Gendry tried very hard not to fidget. "What's your name?"

"Gendry Waters."

The woman nodded, her lips pursed before she called out, "Rhaego!" Left of the counter was an arched doorway that led into the gym itself. A little boy came scampering in from there. "Well you go tell Arya she has a visitor."

The boy glanced up at Gendry, eyes narrowed and bottom lip stuck out. While darkened skinned and haired, Rhaego had the same purple eyes as his mother. Equally as intimidating too.

The young boy ran back the way he came. "You can have a seat while you wait," the woman gestured out towards the row seats along the front wall. Her smile was big, but not so friendly. He got the feeling Arya might have mentioned him.

"Who is this visitor?" When the boy returned it was not with Arya, but with a much larger version of the boy that was obviously Rhaego's father. He had tattoo over his back and shoulders. He glanced at Gendry, eyes dark and focused, "Boy, come." His fingers flexed toward his palm in a 'follow' gesture as he turned back into the gym.

Rhaego was smirking up at him as Gendry passed him into the gym. There were wavemasters and boxing bags to one side, most of them occupied. A large boxing ring took up the center of the floor.

"I am Drogo," the man said they walked towards the ring. He looked at Gendry sideways, "You're the bull."

"Uh…" Gendry scratched the back of his head, "That's more of a screenname."

Drogo shrugged, "It would be a good fighter name." He nodded towards the ring, "Ever boxed?" Gendry shook his head. Drogo smiled, his eyes lit up, "You do today."

A body slammed onto the floor of the ring. Gendry jumped. He looked up to see none other than Arya Stark standing over him, her shadow long.

Her short hair was tucked up on top of her head with a clip that stuck out from her headgear. Her gloves were fingerless and she had matching padding on her feet.

"She's sparring. Mixed." Drogo held up one of the bands on the ring for the man who'd hit the ground to climb out. "Good luck." Gendry blinked. Drogo was waiting, band up.

Arya was looking at him, eyes narrowed and mouth puckered much the same as Rhaego had when he saw Gendry.

Gendry got into the ring. Whether it was smart or not was one thing - it wasn't - but it was definitely the right thing to do. He, having zero fighting experience, had his ass handed to him. Repeatedly. In front of about a dozen boxers who encircled the ring to cheer Arya on.

Lying on his back, the strap of his headgear scratching at his neck, he saw the most beautiful sight: Arya was smiling. Her eyes sparkled with mischief. Sweat was dripping off her chin. Gendry stared at her, mouth hanging open, until she nudged him with her foot, "Are you dead?"

"Nope." Gendry groaned as he sat up, "But I am exhausted."

A booming laugh echoed from the sidelines, "We'll have to work on his stamina next." Drogo sounded dead serious. Gendry looked over at him, "Fridays." He nodded up at Arya, "She will teach you." And the man walked off.

"Well, I guess you're learning how to fight for real now." Arya's hand appeared in front of his face.

Gendry took it and got to his feet, "I think I prefer my button mashing." Arya laughed, light and deep and perfect. Gendry smiled down at her. "But, I'll give it a shot."

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Thanks for reading! Reviews Appreciated!


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